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Stupid Question-What's the best way to choose?

OK-Here it goes. The more I read on this board the more confused I get. It seems half the posts here talk about cable manufacturers selling snake oil and the other half completely buying into what they are selling. Are they both right/wrong? I just ordered some new equipment and am not new to this hobby but I'm far from technical. If you want to talk wine I can hold my own with just about anyone. I know if I lay out my component list and musical preferences, I'll get 50 responses sending me in 50 different directions. What does one do if they know they love the sound they've chosen but can't see having to spend ANOTHER fortune on cables they thought they already owned? I'll lay out what I own and it may clarify my previous question.

Source: Cary 306 SACD
Pre amp: Aesthetix Calypso
Amps: Quicksilver V4
Speakers: Vandersteen 5
Interconnects: Magnan Vi, Audioquest Diamond
Speaker Cable: Biwire Audioquest Sterling and Midnight

I'm looking for a common sense approach to this process. Obviously I've made a serious investment and am not looking to cheap out when it comes to sound but honestly I don't have any idea where to begin.

Thanks in advance for any insight.
128x128jeffmazen
eldarado
381 posts
 
Listen to as many different cables as you can in your system and buy the ones that sound the best to you within your budget.
timrhu
2,778 posts
 
What do you feel you're missing? It doesn't seem as if changing cables would make substantial improvements. Have a nice glass of wine and relax.
Do wine enthusiasts argue over which type of wine glass is best?
driver's avatar
driver
746 posts
 
Since you just ordered some new equipment, once you get it set up & run in, start doing some listening & see if you like what you hear.

The key here is when you discover something you want to change to only make one change at a time, otherwise you'll never know where the change is coming from. Before you start changing things, I would suggest you work with your room as much as possible. Speaker placement is the easiest thing to do that affects the overall quality & don't be surprised if it takes several months to achieve the best spot.

By working with the room, you can also work w/placement (if possible) of the system itself, the furniture & room treatments. This is where you need to do some homework & search the archives, here & on AA.

Then there's the AC issue. Again, you need to do some homework plus find out what condition yours is in before you start working in that area.

This is just a rough sketch and you can start today by getting a notebook & start taking notes. Draw diagrams, put down your thoughts, what you like & don't like & how it changes, etc.

Have fun!
uppermidfi
277 posts
 
I'm not sure what you're getting at, since you own AudioQuest Diamond (which as I recall was about $1000/m), and you've spent good money on the speaker cable too.

Whenever i read the threads where someone is asking for recommendations it only turns into a "this is my favorite so you should buy it too" session.

If you don't want something don't buy it! If you're happy with your cable, why are you even asking. You can't think that cable is snake oil since you've already got expensive cable.

I know the ICs I have now are a lot better than the cheap ones I had before. I know my speaker cable isn't very good. I bought into the fad of the Paul Speltz Anti-cable hype. What a waste of money that was but it's what I have now; besides it's all I could afford at the time.

The only way to buy is by listening. If you have snake oil dripping from your ears after listening, don't buy that cable.
sfar's avatar
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sfar
1,352 posts
 
Timrhu, I know it was a rhetorical question but, yes, wine enthusiasts DO argue endlessly over what kind of wine glass is best. Here's a quote as an example:

"The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make." - Robert Parker, Jr.

At least when an audiophile buys an overpriced interconnect there's not too much chance he'll drop and break it the first time he uses it.
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